Choosing the right Bible for your child

I’m not sure when you last went into a Christian book store and had a look in the children’s Bible section. There are so many different children’s Bibles. Some might even say that there are too many. Sometimes when there are just too many options one can get completely overwhelmed and end up giving up and walking straight back out of the store. 

Over the years I have been asked a few times by parents and leaders in my Children’s Church which Bible is a good one to buy. I thought it would be a good idea to write a post to help equip you to know how to choose the right Bible for your child. So the next time you go into your local Christian book store you will know exactly what you are looking for. 

A note to children’s church leaders: Although this post is predominantly aimed at parents, this information is equally important to you. A children’s Bible is a great resource to use in your children’s ministry. Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to simplify difficult concepts. During these times I often refer to my children’s Bible. I have found them very helpful in giving me the right words to use. Never, however, read the story from a children’s Bible as your lesson without having first read the story for yourself from your adult version. This will ensure that the story details are accurate and true to God’s Word. 

1. Find an age-appropriate Bible

You have probably never even considered the question “Why do we have children’s Bibles anyway?”. The reason for this is because the answer is obvious. Just like you wouldn’t read a book on Philosophy to a three year old, you wouldn’t read a regular “adult” Bible to them either. They simply would not understand what you are reading to them. I mean, let’s face it, sometimes we don’t even understand everything that is written in the pages of Scripture. We have children’s Bibles, therefore, to make the Bible more accessible and understandable for children.  

If you read the blog post series that I recently did on the different stages of development, you would have noticed that with each new stage of development a child is capable of learning and understanding new things. So it only stands to reason then that you will need to have a few different Bibles over the course of this time. Bibles that are appropriate for their stage of development. 

When you are looking for an age-appropriate Bible you are looking for a Bible that simplifies difficult concepts using language or words that your child will understand. If your child is very young, you want to get a very basic children’s Bible that has simple words with lots of pictures. These pictures should not only be visually appealing, they should be aiding in their understanding rather than distracting from the message of the story. As your child grows, however, their vocabulary will grow and their understanding of God’s word will grow too. You will, therefore, need to look for a Bible that will correspond with this growth. You don’t want it to be too simple. You want them to be challenged in their understanding so that they can grow and learn. You also, however, do want it to be too complicated that they don’t understand or have too much information that will just bring confusion. You are looking for a happy medium. 

2. Find a true Bible

Unfortunately, all too often when authors try to simplify God’s Word, to make it more understandable for children, they distort the truth. We want our children to hear the true gospel message because it is that message which saves. There is no use getting a Bible that is not true to God’s Word. You don’t want to have to reteach everything that was learnt incorrectly, in years to come. You will also frequently find that authors will add in their interpretation of a particular passage and they may even put in an application too. These interpretations and applications can sometimes be very valuable. Unfortunately, they can also, on many occasions, be very harmful. One way to minimise this from happening is to look up some key stories that you know are renowned for being distorted and see how they portray them. 

Here are a few examples of key stories/concepts:

• Adam and Eve -The fruit is the garden of Eden should not be called an apple
• The story of Jonah – Jonah is swallowed by a big fish, which may or may jot have been a whale. We just simply aren’t told. 
• The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife – It will be a good idea to read this story to see how the author chose to explain the concept of adultery. 
• Jesus’ miracles – Should be about showing Jesus’ power and authority. They should not be a moral lesson on how to be kind to others. 
• Portrayal of Jesus – Make sure that Jesus is portrayed as God’s Son and not as just a good man. 

3. Find a complete Bible

When I say “Find a complete Bible” what I mean is you need to look for a Bible that gives the complete story. A Bible that has all the important key stories in it that will give a complete Bible overview. Now there are going to be some children’s Bibles that won’t have all of these key stories in them. These will most likely be the children’s Bibles that are aimed at very young children. The Bibles for older children, however, should have most of these key stories.

Below is a list of important stories (or periods) that I feel should be in your children’s Bible. You may want to add some stories to the list or take some away. This is just a guideline. 

• Creation
• The Fall
• The Flood 
• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the promises
• Joseph and Egypt
• Moses and The Plagues, including the Passover
• Joshua and entering the land of Canaan
• King Saul, David and Solomon
• The exile and Daniel
• Jesus birth
• Jesus’ miracles
• Jesus’ death and resurrection

4) Find multiple Bibles

Up until this point you may have been under the impression that I have been advocating for one Bible that is a silver bullet. A “one size fits all” kind of thing. This is not the case. My husband and I read the Bible to our girls every night and sometimes even two stories. You will be surprised at how quickly we manage to read through the whole thing. Having more than one Bible prevents the Bible reading from becoming boring or monotonous. 

As a side note: Do not get rid of your “baby” Bible version. I bought a very simple board book Bible for when our girls were very young. Now that our eldest daughter has started to learn how to read, she can read the simple words from that “baby” Bible for herself. 

5) Find an accessible Bible

There is something special about reading God’s Word from an actual book. The Bible, however, doesn’t always need to be a physical book. There are some great children’s Bible apps out there that are very helpful. They can be more interactive and help your child learn more. 

Here are a few recommendations of Bibles:

1. Read and learn Bible, Eva Moore, Bible Society of South Africa
2. The Big Picture Story Bible, David Helm, Crossway Books
3. Bible For Kids app

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you found it helpful. Please send me any feedback, comments or questions that you may have. I would also like to hear if there are any topics that you would like me to deal with in the future. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 

Bye for now.

“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” (Ephesians 6:23-24)